Monday, October 14, 2013

Europe Trip Recap: Salzburg, Austria

Wednesday, May 22, 2013--Munich to Salzburg, Austria

This was my second time to Austria, I had been to Vienna before, but it was my first visit to Salzburg. I had only passed through it via train before. It was more special visiting the country this time, since I was with my mom and we had just confirmed that her family were likely Austrians who lived in Bohemia and Germany.

I started out my day with Bircher muesli and a coffee at Starbucks at the Munich train station. Mom and I then met up with Laurie and Kim to head to Salzburg!

Once off the train, we started our search for The Heart of Joy cafe. Kim had heard about it from a friend who recommended the vegetarian restaurant. After getting a little lost, we finally found it.

We purchased some vegan treats to eat and then wandered around the city for a bit. I think this is one of the fountains from the Sound of Music.

Craig and I saw this exact same statue in Prague. It has to do with one of Mozart's works.

My grandma's family name is Bauer and her side is most likely 100% Austrian, so I thought seeing the name everywhere was pretty cool. It means "farmer" in German, so it's a pretty common name on breads and it seems to be a fairly common surname too.

Salzburg is known for The Sound of Music, so I had to pose with this!

And it's known for Mozart, so his face is found everywhere, even on rubber duckies.

I collect Christmas ornaments from places I have been to in Europe and I had to purchase a little Mozart ornament to bring home and remember Salzburg by!

I really wanted to see Mozart's birth house, so my mom and I decided to go in while Laurie and Kim shopped.

The Mozart family kitchen.

We couldn't take pictures inside the museum, but I really enjoyed seeing things like Mozart's violin and learning more about him and his family.

All four of us met up again and walked around town some more. We stumbled upon a creepy cemetery, St. Peter's. This has to be one of the most frightening statues I have ever seen in my life.

Here is some history I found online:St. Peter's District is the oldest part of Salzburg, with the city spreading out slowly from the monastery. The catacombs cut in to the Monchsberg cliff face go back to 215 AD. Only priests and monks were buried at St. Peter's Cemetery until the 15th century. Many of Salzburg's wealthy and aristocratic families are also buried here, and it is the oldest cemetery still in use in Austria. Entrance to the cemetery is free, with a small charge to see the catacombs.

Later on, we found the coolest park to play around in. Kim and I went up/down this slide. It has to the most bizarre way I have ever climbed up a slide and it is way too complicated to explain in words.

The swings in the park were the best! I want one of these in my backyard. It was like a cross between a swing and a hammock!

After we went through the Mozart house and Laurie and Kim shopped, it was time for them to have some cake for dessert!

Mozart lived in this house.

Laurie, Kim and I at Mirabell Palace and Gardens.

We ended our day back at The Heart of Joy Cafe, for some soup and other "real food" after eating lots of treats. The soup we all consumed was so good! They had wi-fi there, which is often difficult to find in Europe, so we caught up on things on the internet.